Akin Makes Final Appeal To Rape Victims

In a final attempt to make amends after his infamous "legitimate rape" comment, Missouri senate candidate Todd Akin released an ad showing that he has the vote of at least one rape victim. Whether she's aware what her preferred candidate would have had her do is unclear.

Congressman Todd Akin, Republican candidate for senate in Missouri, is telling the voters of his state that he's a good man, a principled man, who totally deserves the respect and admiration of rape victims. To do this, his campaign is proudly announcing in a new ad that they found a rape victim who plans to vote for him. The woman, Kelly (the name she gives in the ad) is set against a black background, and she explains without mincing words that she is "a woman who's had an abortion, who's been raped." Kelly goes on to explain that she is voting for Akin because he "defends the unborn."

What Kelly is implying here, as she is undoubtedly well-versed in Congressman Akin's views, is that she wishes the government had forced her to bear her rapist's child. That is, after all, Akin's feeling on the matter, as he stated in this now infamous quote:

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."

He has released ads since, expressing his heartfelt sympathy for rape victims. This most recent one, with Kelly, also has another Akin defender, a Russian lady named Zoya.

"I know that Congressman Akin knows what got him his job is that to protect life, not to control life like they did in Russia."

Zoya goes on to say that Akin will defend our freedoms and not let the U.S. become like Russia.

This would be a generic, "he's a good guy who cares about freedom" ad, were it not for Kelly's opening admission about her sexual assualt and abortion, and Akin's history with that issue. With that context, this ad is saying that rape victims who fail to "shut that whole thing down" and become pregnant should vote for Akin BECAUSE he would force them to carry the rapist's child. To allow this would, I guess, be "controlling life, like they do in Russia."

Presumably Akin's opponent, current Missouri senator, Democrat Claire McCaskill is implicated here as someone who would take us on the road to Russia. Because, y'know, if you're not with the staunch pro-life Republicans, you are a Communist. Folks, Claire McCaskill is one of the only senators you could easily call moderate. She's about as status quo as it gets. A senate full of McCaskills would be charmingingly boring. And probably more sympathetic to rape victims than Todd Akin.

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